Monday, September 16, 2013
E12
Sabah’s progress and future Malaysia should practise fairness, equality — Ho
C
USTOMERS who step into Sen Chong Wah on Gaya Street will find themselves brought back in time as the walls are plastered with pictures of Jesselton and old newspaper articles offering glimpses of the past. Sen Chong Wah itself also has a long history as it was opened shortly after the Second World War. “Sometimes when you were lucky, you could see wild boars swimming from Pulau Gaya to Api-Api during low tide in search of clams,” said Ho Kwan Hing, 65, owner of Sen Chong Wah. According to Ho, the original name of Kota Kinabalu - Api-Api - came about in 1910 when villagers
at Pulau Gaya saw the attap shops on the mainland on fire and yelled “Api! Api!” (fire). As he explained the history behind the old pictures, he lamented that “It used to be safe in Kota Kinabalu. Back in the 70s we did not need to lock our doors when we went to sleep, now we fear thieves and burglars.” Looking back at the amount of progress yet to be achieved since Sept 16, 1963, Ho called for fairness and equality across all races and states. Ho said Sabah had contributed hundreds of millions to the nation in natural resources, but the lion’s share of the money had gone to de-
veloping West Malaysia. Ho also aired his grievances on the ‘M Project’, legalising of illegal immigrants and added that the 1Malaysia People’s Aid (BR1M) was not distributed fairly. “My wife’s grandma is a Dusun in Kudat, but even she did not get BR1M.” Ho pointed out that the government should be fair to all races, as the Chinese have contributed tremendously to the economy. “We want fairness and impartiality, can we achieve that?” Ho added that National Day on Aug 31 should be done away with and Sept 16 acknowledged as Malaysia’s Independence Day.
GOOD OLD DAYS: Photos of the Kota Kinabalu community centre back in 1958 (top) and 1960s.
REFERENCES TO THE PAST: Ho (right) and his wife pose for a photo with the old pictures and newspaper articles.
Sabah has undergone rapid growth — SUCCC chief S
Gan Sau Wah
ABAH’S development has grown in leaps and bounds since Sabah and Sarawak joined Malaya to form Malaysia on Sept 16, 1963. Sabah United Chinese Chambers of Commerce (SUCCC) president Datuk Seri Panglima Gan Sau Wah JP, born in 1936, was 27 years-old when the Federation of Malaysia was formed. He recalled that Sabah had been very backward in terms of infrastructure prior to the formation of Malaysia, and the population back then was only in the hundreds of thousands. “The people at that time were honest, and life was simple,” he
said. Gan’s hometown, Semporna, was a fishing village 50 years ago. Most of the bumiputeras living in Semporna were Bajaus, the majority of them fishermen. “There were only around 1,000 Chinese in Semporna 50 years ago. The local Chinese mostly did business in seafood or local-products.” To determine if the people supported the proposed Federation of Malaysia, the Cobbold Commission was established for North Borneo (now Sabah) and Sarawak. Gan recalled that the majority of the people agreed to the pro-
posal because Sabah and Malaya were similar in terms of language and culture, in addition to wanting political stability. Most of the Chinese community were also in favour of the proposal and considered Malaysia as the most suitable option, he said. “The Chinese community agreed to the proposal because our neighbouring countries such as Indonesia and Philippines regarded the Chinese differently; and we had felt insecure in many aspects. “So we felt that the federation was the most suitable option.” There was not much celebration in Semporna when the formation
of Malaysia was declared on September 16, 1963. Nonetheless, Gan remarked that Semporna has seen rapid growth over the past 10 years under the Barisan Nasional (BN) government. Sabah as a state has also boomed in terms of population and developments, as well as in West Malaysia where development and infrastructure have reached international standards. On the future of Sabah, Gan said tourism development would be vital while oil palm plantation and property development were also important industries to look into.